Megan Khang of Rockland experiences her second U.S. Women's Open Golf Championship

Rockland teenager Megan Khang competed in her eighth USGA Championship Tournament last week, the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open at Pinehurst’s No. 2 course in North Carolina. Khang, 16, had played in the 2012 U.S. Women’s Open, which was in Wisconsin, but failed to make the cut.

This time she struggled with her putting early, and when she corrected that, her long game went a bit astray, as she missed the cut Friday after a round of 79. We contacted Khang by email on Friday night, and she offered a brief view of “the ups and downs’’she went through at the Open.

“I was hitting the ball well the first day but unfortunately could not get the putter to work,’’ Khang wrote. “Today (Friday), my putting was much better although I was not able to hit the greens as often as I would have liked to. Unfortunately I will not be able to see the weekend, but it was still a great experience and I look forward to next year's qualifier and Open.”

Khang nonetheless has a formidable golfing history already. Last year she made the semifinals of the U.S. Girls Junior Championship, her best finish ever in her fifth overall appearance in that tourney. Only nine golfers have ever appeared in as many as six of those Girls Junior Championships, so Khang has a chance at two more, which would tie Margot Morton's all-time record of seven appearances.